Would've been an unremarkable Thomas Hardy adaption were it not for Nicolas Roeg's stunning cinematography. Julie Christie doesn't bring much to the table beyond her looks, and Peter Finch felt the opposite --suggesting depths that weren't elicited by his character onscreen.

Excellent acting, but the story is just too depressing for my tastes. But that's Thomas Hardy for you.

Nicolas Roeg cinematography - the true star of this movie. It's actually very interesting for the first part, but then the focus shifts to Julie Christie, an actress I have never found compelling, and things take a turn for the cliched. Perhaps the end twist was supposed to have a shocking effect, it just seemed poorly executed. I imagine the novel was better, but like I said, Nicolas Roeg = about 60-70% of my enjoyment (it is really that good), so I don't think I'll be getting to that.

Excellent treatment of Hardy's novel by Schlesinger, with the help of some fantastic actors, especially the ever-radiant Julie Christie.